Neon tube supports



Sept. 2, 1958 R. F. HEYOB ET AL NEON TUBE SUPPORTS Filed NOV. 1, 1954ROBERT F. HY05 JOSEPH G. BURG ORREN D. HoFFMA/v VICTOR 5. GRfE/VEBAUMMill:

mwszvrozas.

flzfys.

, ,sasst Fatented Sept. 2, 1958 NEON TUBE SUPPORTS Robert F. Heyob,Green Township, Hamilton County, Joseph G. Burg, Sycamore Township,Hamilton County, and Orren D. Hoifman and Victor S. Greenebaum,tCincinnati, Ohio, assignors to Neon Engineering, Inc., Cincinnati,Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 1, 1954, Serial No.466,102

4 Claims. (Cl. 174-138) This invention relates to supports for luminoustubing and particularly to resilient supports for luminous tubular signelements.

An object of this invention is to provide for neon and like luminoustubes a resilient support having a long service life and being of simplesturdy construction adapted for manufacture at low cost.

A further object of this invention is to provide a support of the abovedescribed character which automatically adjusts in height to conform tothe space between a sign body face and the luminous tube supported inspaced relation thereto and incidentally subjecting the luminous tubemember to forces of insuflicient magnitud to cause any mechanical damagethereto.

A further object of this invention is to provide a resilient support ofthe above described character having a luminous tube-engaging memberadapted for resilient tilting to permit positioning of the tube-engagingsaddle portion thereof in firm supporting engagement with the luminoustube and adapted to co-operate with binding means for securing thetube-engaging member and said tube in co-operative relation to eachother.-

A further object of this invention is to provide a device as abovedescribed comprising a base or mounting member adapted to be secured tothe faceof a sign, a screw post, an elongate cup having an axialaperture in the bottom thereof and an helical spring in said cup, asecond helical spring between the cup and the base member, the postscrew extending axially through the helical springs and the cup apertureinto threaded engagement with the base, the head of the screw post beingdisposed within the elongate cup and being spacedinwardly from the openend thereof to provide an air gap between same and the wall of aluminous tube supported thereon.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the inventionpertains, from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing.

In the drawing: I

Figure l is a view in perspective of a device embodying this invention,portions thereof being broken away to more clearly illustrate details ofconstruction;

Fig. 2 is a view in cross section of the device shown in Fig. 1, takenalong the line II--II in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the base member, a portionof a post and a portion of a sign body. 1

We have illustrated a form of support embodying our invention, in Figs.1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawing. The support comprises abase ormounting member 10, screw post 11, resilient helical spring memberslZand 13, and a cup 14. Cup 14 may be made of any suitable material whichis a non-conductor of electricity, or insulation. We have found that acup 14, having very satisfactory performance characteristics, may bemade by die-casting polystyrene plastic to the form illustrated in thedrawing.

The base or mounting member 10 shown in the drawing, is formed from anelongate rectangular blank of metal having a rectangular transversecross section. The blank is bent along fold lines 15 and 1'7 to formparallel oppositely extending tab portions 15 and 17. The under face oftab 17 is substantially coplanar with the upper face of tab 15 anddistance A is substantially equal to the thickness of tab 15. A centralaperture 18 is provided in tab 15 for receiving a portion of a screw orother means for securing tab 15 in face-to-face abutment with the faceof panel 16. A threaded aperture 19 adapted to receive and co-operatewith threaded stud portion 22 of screw post 11, is provided centrally oftab 17.

Screw post 11 has a stop-head portion 21 and a threaded stud-rootportion 22 integrally joined to opposite ends of an elongate cylindricalshank of body 20 in coaxial alignment therewith. Stop-head 21 is largerin diameter than body 20 and its face 23 extends radially outwardly fromthe shank 20.

'Root portion 22 is preferably of a length greater than the thickness oftab 17 and less than the distance from the face 15 of tab 17 to thesubjacent surface 16 in order that a portion thereof may project beyondtab 17 toward face 16 and be provided with threads adjacent the free endof portion 22 of slightly undersize diameter to facilitate engagementthereof with threaded aperture 19 provided in tab 17. Root portion 22 isadvanced into threaded engagement with tab 17 until the adjacentabutment end face 44 of shank 20 is in face-to-face abutment with aportion of the upper face 45 of tab 1'7 adjacent aperture 19. When screwpost 11 and member 11) are so joined, face 455 is parallel to and spacedfrom opposite face 23.

Helical spring 12 has end portions 24 and 24 coiled to form endringstending to lie in spaced parallel planes. Spring 12 is of sufiicientlylarge diameter to receive a portion of shank 20 for free reciprocationtherein. Helical spring 13, having end rings 36 and 37, is similar tospring 12, but may be of a different length, for example, in the deviceillustrated in the drawing, spring 13 is approximately one-half as longas spring 12.

Elongate cup 14 has a cylindrical side wall 25, bottom 2e, exterior pads28 and lugs 29. The pads 28 extend outwardly from diametrally oppositeportions of wall 25 adjacent the mouth of cup 14. Lip face 27 lies intwo planes intersecting at 32 in an obtuse angle of approximatelydegrees along a diameter perpendicular to a diameter through the centersof exterior pads 28, and serves to provide a V-rest notch or saddle fora neon or like tube 30. Lip face 27 is narrowest adjacent the line ofintersection 32 of the two planes and widest adjacent the pads 28intermediate the narrow portions. Lugs 29 extend from pads 28 inparallel spaced relation to the exterior surface of wall 25 away fromlip face 27 and serve to retain tie-wire 31 in co-operative engagementwith pad 28. Bottom 26 has an axial bore 33 extending therethrough. Bore33 is larger in diameter than shank 20 and smaller in diameter thansprings 12 and 13 and is adapted to permit cocking of cup 14 to swingthe inner face of its wall 25 into contact with head 21. The faces 34and 35 of bottom 26 are substantially parallel abutment faces adapted toco-operate with end rings 24 and 37 of springs 12 and 13, respectively.1

The support illustrated in the drawing maybe assembled by insertingscrew post 11 successively through spring 13, bore 33, spring 12 intoaperture 19 in threaded engagement, with face in face-to-face abutmentwith the upper face of tab 1'7. In so assembling the device, springs 12and 13 are loaded in compression with their respective end ring coils 24and 37 abutting bottom faces 34 and T 5 and ring coils 36 and 24abutting face 23 and the upper face of tab 17. Cup 14, with its bottom26 clamped between coil rings 24 and 37, floats resiliently forlongitudinal axial reciprocation along shank of screw post 11 and forlimited cocking from coaxial alignment with the post 11. The face ofbore 33 co-operates with the face of shank 2t} and head 21 co-operateswith the adjacent face of wall to limit cocking of cup 114 relating topost 11. The limit positions of the axis of cup 14 in the device shownin the drawing, lie in a cone,

for any position of axial displacement of cup 14 relative to shank 21).The apex angle of the cone of limit positions of the axis of cup 14varies, being smallest when cup 14 is advanced as far as possible towardbase member 10 (the position in which spring 12 is fully compressed),and being greatest when cup 14 is advanced as far from base member 10 aspossible (the position in which spring 13 is fully compressed).

It may be noted that when cup 14 is advanced to the limit position inwhich spring 12 is fully compressed, an insulating air gap is preservedbetween the wall of tube and post head 21 by reason of the relativedimensions of Post 11, spring 12 and cup 14.

Having thus described the invention it will be apparent to those havingordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains, that variouschanges may be made in the disclosed embodiment, without departing fromeither the spirit or the scope of the invention.

Therefore what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by LetterPatent is:

1. A load responsive, protective support for a luminous tube whichcomprises an elongated cup-shaped body member, means at the open end ofsaid body member for attaching a luminous tube thereto, there being anopening in the base of the body member, an elongated post extendingthrough said opening, an enlarged head on one end of said post andreciprocable inside the body member, a mounting bracket attached to theother end of said post, and a pair of springs mounted on said post, anend of each spring engaging the base of the body member, the second endof one of the springs engaging the head of the post and the second endof the other spring engaging the bracket, both springs being normallyloaded in compression, said other spring serving as a stop limitingadvancement of the cup toward the bracket to provide an insulating airgap between said post and a luminous tube secured to said cup, wherebythe body member is resiliently mounted on the post, there beingclearance between the head of the post and the walls of the body member,whereby the body member can swing with relation to the post, the springsurging the body member into alignment with the post.

2. A load responsive, protective support for luminous tubing comprisingan elongate insulating cup having a bottom, at least one side wall ofthe cup being joined to the bottom and having a lip defining a V-notchrest for i a luminous tube remote from said bottom, said cup having apair of pads projecting laterally outward and substantiallyperpendicular to said V-notch, each pad having at least one fingerspaced outwardly from and projecting parallel to the side wall of thecup and toward the plane of the cup bottom, a central aperture in saidbottom, an elongate post having a head portion adjacent one of its endsand being secured to a base member adjacent the other end, said postextending through the aperture in said cup bottom, a first resilientmeans between and abutting said head and the inward facing face of thecup bottom, a second resilient means between and abutting said basemember and the outward facing face of the cup bottom, said secondresilient means serving as a stop limiting advancement of the cup towardthe base member to provide an insulating air gap between said post and aluminous tube secured to said cup each of said resilient means urgingthe cup bottom longitudinally of said post and toward the other of saidresilient means, whereby a portion of a luminous tube may be resilientlysupported in spaced relation to an adjacent member and securely fastenedin co-operating relation to said V-notch rest by a tie wire co-operatingwith said cup and insulated from said post.

3. A load responsive, protective support for luminous tubing comprisingan elongate insulating cup having an aperture extending centrallythrough the bottom thereof and having a lip formed to provide a V-notchrest for luminous tubing and means projecting laterally of said -/-notchand adapted to co-operate with means for securing a luminous tube inco-operative relation therewith, an elongate post member having a bodyportion and a head portion of larger diameter provided adjacent one endthereof and being secured to a base member adjacent the other endthereof said post member extending through the aperture in said cupbottom, resilient means having opposite ends abutting said post head andthe inwardly facing face of said cup bottom, respectively, a secondresilient means between and having opposite ends abutting said basemember and the exterior face of said cup bottom, said second resilientmeans serving as a stop limiting advancement of the cup toward the basemember to provide an insulating air gap between said post and luminoustubing secured to said cup, each of said resilient means urging the cupbottom longitudinally along said post toward the other of said resilientmeans and being adapted to maintain the respective end portions thereofin flatwise abutment with the co-operating faces of said cup bottom andresiliently urging said cup toward coaxial alignment with said post whensaid cup is cocked out of coaxial alignment with said post.

4. For luminous tubing a protective support responsive to loading forcesand comprising an elongate insulating cup having a central aperture inthe bottom thereof, an elongate post having an enlarged head portionadjacent one of its ends, a first resilient means within said cup, asecond resilient means exteriorly of said cup, said post extendingsuccessively through said first resilient means, the aperture in saidcup bottom, the second resilient means and into engagement with saidbase member whereby said resilient means are loaded in compression withthe remote end portions thereof respectively abutting a portion of saidpost head and said base member, and their adjacent end portions abutopposite faces of the cup bottom in compression, biasing the cup towardco-axial relation to said post, said second resilient means serving as astop limiting advancement of the cup toward the base member to providean insulating air gap between said post and luminous tubing secured tosaid cup, whereby said cup is resiliently supported for longitudinalreciprocation and cocking from co-axial relation to said post underforce imposed incident to supporting of luminous tubing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,215,736 Stafiord Feb. 13, 1917 1,861,532 Haugh June 7, 1932 2,744,705Richter May 8, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS V r 685,511 France Apr. 1, 1930465,616 Great Britain May 11, 1937

